Secret-lock box



Nov. 27, 1928. 1,693,038

T. MEI-DER SECRET LOCK Box Filed Oct. 15, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Vfa7//////////l r/'/////'///////n '14 \nv e nTor. T heodore Mefld 61" by M M M A1 Tys.

Nov. 27, 1928. I 1,693,038

T. MELDER SECRET LOCK Box Filed Oct. 15, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l 66 F1 g. 10.

lnvenTor.

Theodore Melder Anya.

Patented Nov. 27, 1928.

THEODORE MEIDDER, 0F BOXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

SECRET-LOCK BOX.

Application filed Qctober 15, 1927. Serial No. 226,479.

This invention relates to improvements in lock boxes or receptacles and the principal object of the invention is to provide a secretlock box in which the locking mechanism is wholly concealed from view from the exterior and which preferably also comprises .mechanism. for concealing the lock-actuating construction in such, a manner that it cannot readily be detected.

More particularly the invention relates to boxes comprising a receptacle a'nda swinging cover and the object of the invention is to provide locking means movable into and out of locking engagement by relative movement of the cover and receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a box of this character with a false bottom and providing means for .detachably retaming said false bottom in place in such a' manner that the removability of the false bottom is not apparent. These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Various illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which, I

1 is a perspective viewof a preferred form of rectangular secret-lock box;

Fig. 2 is a detail front view, on an enlarged scale, of supplemental locking mechanism for preventing relative sliding movement of the cover and receptacle; f r Fig. 3. is a vertical sectional View Of the supplemental locking mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the box illustrated in Fig. 1, about midway of the length thereof, showing the cover in normal closed and locked position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view,rsimilar to that illustrated in Fig. 4, showing the cover slid ably moved relatively to the receptacle to dis-. engage the locking devices and: ready to be swung to open position; I

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal Vertical sectional view on line 6-6 Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the under side of the cover and of the receptacle, illustrating the mechanism for perinitting swinging and relative sliding movements of the cover and receptacle, and also showing the means for substantially concealing the mechanism for permitting such relative sliding movement;

Fig. 8 1s a view of a modlfied form of the invention illustrating the receptacle inlon-y gitudinal vertical section with the cover in open position; i

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view on v line 9-9 Fig. 8 illustrating, however, the cover in closed position; Fig. 10 is a vlew show ng another embodi-' ment of the invention illustrating the means for pivotally and slidably mounting the cover upon the receptacle, portions being illustrated in section; v

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view on line 11-11 Fig. 10; V Fig. 12 is a view illustrating the invention as applied to a cigarette. box, the members of which are illustrated in open position; and, Fig. 13 is a broken transverse sectional view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 12. The invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive as embodied in a rectangular box,

such as a treasure chest, of wood, or other suitable material, having a bottom 1, and front and rear walls 2 and 3, and end walls 4 and 5. The cover 6 is of hollow form andis provided with a front wall 7 a rear Wall 8, and end walls 9, and lOwhich register with the walls 2, 3, tand 5 respectively. The cover is mounted upon the receptacle in such a manner as to permit swinging and relative sliding movements therebetween. Lockingdevicesare provided which are adapted to interengage when the cover and receptacle are. in normal position with the respective walls thereof in registry.- .These locking devices are adapted to be disengaged upon relative sliding movement of the cover to permit the same to be swung to open position and resilient means are provided to'urge the cover toward,and maintain the same in, normal position.

In the particular embodiment of thein-.

vention shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the

locking devices vcomprise a hook 11 which is rigidly fastened to the frontwall 7 of the cover and is adapted to engage a recess in a metal plate 12 which is secured to the inner face of the front wall 2 of the receptacle. The meansfor permitting swinging and relatively sliding movementbetween the cover and the receptacle comprises a hinge, or preferably a pair of hinges, a'strap 13 of which is fixedly secured to therear wall 3 of the into registry with the slot therein.

spring 20 Wlll then produce a forward move-' receptacle, and preferably extends over the upper edge thereof so that the pintle 14 is substantially in the plane of the rear wall 3. The other strap member 15 of the hinge is fixedly secured to a. guide member 16, in the form of a block or plate, having tongued edges 17 -which are slidably mounted in grooves 18 in the ends 9 and 10 of the cover. A complementary block 19 is located between the front wall 9 of the cover-and the guide 16, and one or more helical springs 20 are interposed between the guide 16 andv block 19 and tend to hold the cover in normal position illustrated in Fig. l. These blocl-ts l9 and I6 desirably are recessed to present re- A linin 24c for the cover is provided which a; l

substantially conceals the guides, the blocks, and the springs, so that the mechanism which permits relative movement betweenthe cover and the receptacle is effectively hidden from view. By reason of this construction the locking devices are entirely concealed when the box is closed and the mechanisnti, which permits the opening of the box upon relative movement of the receptacle and cover, is effectively concealed when the box is open.

In the operation of the device, assuming it to be in locked position Fig. 4, to open the box it is only necessary to slide the cover rear wardly suliiciently to disengage the hook 11 from the recess in the plate 12, after which the cover can be swung about the pintle 14. of the hinge into open position. As soon as pressure upon the cover is released, the spring urges the cover toward normalposition, so that when the box is to be closed and locked it is merely necessary to swing the cover to closed position with suflicient force to cause the. inclinededge of the hook member 11 to forcethe coverrearwardly enough to cause its point to pass along the plate 12 and'enter The nient of the cover which will force the point of the hook into the slot, thus automatically locking the cover in closed position.

As the manner in which the box can be opened will be obvious when once it has been demonstrated, supplemental locking means may be employed to prevent the relative sliding movement between the cover and the re ceptacle by any person other than one who is familiar with a particular setting of the sup plemental look. A simple and effective device for this purpose is illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 and 3 and comprises a plate 25 V which is secured to the inner face of the front Wall 7 of the cover and is provided with a of the cover conceals this plate except for the.

projecting tongue thereof.

The co-operating locking member is in the form of a rotatable disk 2? having a radial slot 28 in its periphery adapted to be moved into or out of registry with the tongue 26 upon the cover member. The disk 2"!" is provided With'a stem 29 which extends through the front wall of the box and preferably has secured to it a dial 30 having a knurled ljtnob 31 by means of which the dial can be readily rotated. The dial may be provided with any sort of letters or numerals, one of which will indicate the registry of the slot- 28 of the disk with the tongue, as for example, in the words Captain Kidds upon the dial, as illustrated in Fi 2 the letter T illustrates the rec'- istering position of the slot 28 with the tongue 26. l Vhen the tongues and slot are in registry relative sliding movement of the cover and receptacle is permitted, When, however, the tongue and slotare out of registry with the-cover in closed position, relative sliding movement between the cover and receptacle will be prevented, so that the hook 11 cannot be released from eng'agement'with the plate 12.

The slot 28 in the disk 27 opposite differentlet-ters, nmnerals, or other indicia, for different boxes, so that a person knowing the proper letter of the dial to indicate the unlocking position of the supplemental lock of one box' will not know the correct position of the supplemental locks'of other boxes. A plurality of such supplemental locks may be provided, two; beingillustrated in Fig.1 of the drawings.

A further feature of the invention comprises a false bottom construction which may further concealcertain contents of the receptacle. Theconstruction illustrated in Figs.

4, 5, and 6, comprises a false bottom 32, the side edges of which slidably engage the front may be positioned Inn and rear Walls 2 and 3 of the receptacle. The

end wall 4 is provided with liningplates 33'and 34 which are secured to the ad acent edge of the wall with their adjacent edges.

separated to provide a groove 35 to receive one end of the false bottom 32. The opposite end wall 5 of the receptacle is provided with a lining comprising a detachable plate 36, the lower-end of which'is-adapted to enthe other end of the false bottom32. The upper edge 37 of the lining plate 36 desirably is beveled and engages an undercutcomplementary bevel upon an abutment or lining member 38 which is secured to the end wall oznear its upper edge. A. spring 39, or preferably a pair of springs, iniier posed between the bottom 1 of the box and the under face of the end of 'the false botmanner heretofore described.

lining plates may be inserted through suitable slots 111 the cover and r1veted down to hold the cover in place and the ends of the lining plates may be provided with extensions bent downwardly to engage the inner faces of the end walls and projecting therebeyond to provide hooks 71 and 72 adapted to engage slots in complementary members upon the ends of the box. The rear edge of the lining member desirably is bent downwardly to form abutments 73 and 74; engaging a leaf spring 75, the ends of which engage respectively the olfset portions of the straps 63 and 64. The lining plate of the cover is 'n'ovided with recesses- 76 and 77 to permit suliicient relative sliding movement of the cover and the guiding extensions 67 of the hinges to enable disengagement of the locking members in the In this construction, as in those previously described the spring urges the cover toward normal locking position and when the cover is closed upon the receptacle retains the hook '72 in looking engagement with the complementary members upon the end walls of the receptacle. lVhen it is desired to open the box, the cover is moved rearwardly, thereby flexing the end portions of the spring which engage the straps 63 and 64. This lateral sliding movenent of the cover disengages the locking hooks 6:2 from their complementary members and permits the cover to be swung upwardly to open position as heretofore de scribed. I I Another modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 as applied to a metallic cigarette box. In this construction the receptacle and the cover are made of sheet metal pressed to hollow rectangular form of substantially identical size and depth, so that either member may be considered as the cover member. For convenience in comparison with the preceding embodiments of the invention the upper member 78 may be considered as the receptacle and the lower member 7 9 as the cover. The peripheral walls of the receptacle 7 8 are provided with an inwardly turned flange 80 to present an edge of considerably greater thickness than that of the metal of the receptacle.- The central portion of the hinge wall is provided with an extension 81 which is bent into circular form to form the hinge member and to receive the pintle 82 of the hinge. The other hing-e members comprise cylindrically bent straps 83 and 84; which embrace the ends of the pintle 82 and are offset to engage the inner face of the rear wall 85 of the cover 7 9.

These strap members may be formed as an extension of a c -shaped frame the base 86 of V extensions 91 and 92 which lie in parallelism with the walls 89 and and conceal the legs 87 and SS of the U-shaped frame. The forward edge of the cover is provided with a hook member 93 which is adapted to engage the flange 80 of the front portion of the base. A curved leaf spring 94 is held between the base 86 of the U-shaped frame and a tongue 95 upon a flange 96, which extends from the rear central portion of the rear wall forwardly and thence downwardly to embrace the spring 95. In this construction, as in those heretofore described, the sections of the case are normally retained in locked position by the action of the spring 94 which holds the walls of the edges of the sections in re istry. To open the case it is merely neces-' sary to cause sufficient relative sliding move ment between the coverand the receptacle portion of the case to cause disengagement of the hook 93 from the flange 80, such relative sliding movement being permitted by the flexure of the spring 94. The parts of the case may then be swung to open position as illustrated in Fig. 12. To close the case it is merely necessary to swing the parts of the case into substantially closed position and then exert suflicient pressure to cause the flange 80 of the receptacle member to slide down the inclined face of the hook member until the hook engages beneath the flange. Such compression will cause suficient relative movement between the receptacle and cover members of the case to permit the device to lock automaticallyin the same manner as in the constructions heretofore described.

It will be understood that the particular embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are of an illustrative character and are not restrictive and that various changes in form,

construction and arrangement of partsmay be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is z 1. A secret-lock box comprising a recep tacle and a cover normally positioned-to register therewith, concealed co-operating locking devices rigidly secured respectively to said receptacle and said cover, means connecting said cover to said receptacle operable to permit swinging and relatively sliding movements therebetween and resilient means acting to maintain said locking devices interlocked when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement to permit the lockingdevices to be disengaged and the cover swung to open position.

" 2. A. secret-lock box comprising a receptacle member and a cover member. normally positioned to register. therewith, concealed co-operating locking devices rigidly connecteo respectively to said receptacle member and to said cover member, a hinge rigidly and resilient means acting upon the movable box member to maintain said locking devices interlocked when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement of said box members to permit said locking devices to be disengaged and the cover swung to open position. p

3. A secret-lock box comprising a recep tacle member, a cover member'therefor, c0ncealed co-operating locking devices rigidly secured to said receptacle member and said cover member, a hinge having a strap rigidly fastened to one of said box members and a strap member slidably mounted within the other box member and resilient means acting upon the movable box member to maintain the locking devices interlocked when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement of said members to permit said locking devices to be disengaged and said coverswung to open position.

A, A secret-lock box comprising a receptacle and a cover normally positioned to register therewith, concealed co-operating looking devices rigidly secured respectively to said receptacle and said cover, means connecting said cover to said receptacle operable to permit swinging and relatively sliding movements therebetween and resilient means acting to maintain said locking devices interlocked when the cover is'in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement to permit the locking devices'to be disengaged and the cover swung to open posit-ion and means selectively operable to permit or to prevent relative sliding movement of said members.

5. A secret-lock box comprising a receptacle member and a cover member normally positioned to register therewith, concealed (Jo-operating locking devices rigidly connected respectively to said receptacle member and to said cover member, a hinge rigidly fastened to one of said box members and slidably connected to the other box member and resilient means acting upon the movable box member to maintain said locking devices interlocked when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement or" said box members to permit said locking devices to doe disengaged and the cover swung to open position, supplemental locking means comprising a tongue member secured to one of said box members and a co-operating member rotatably mounted upon the other box member having a slot and means for selectively rotating said member to position said slot into and out of registry with said tongue, whereby relative sliding movement between said box members may be peritted or prevented.

6., A secret-lock box comprising a 'recep tacle member, a cover member therefor, constrap member slidably mounted within the. otherbox member and resilient means acting upon the movable box member to maintain the locking devices interlocked when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable upon relative sliding movement of said members to permit said locking devices to be disengaged and said cover swung to open position and means overlying and substantially concealing said strap member and resilient means.

7. A secret-lock box comprising rectangular receptacle, a hollow rectangular cover therefor having peripheral walls normally positioned in registry respectively with like walls of said receptacle, co-operatinglocking members rigidly secured respectively to said receptacle and said cover, a hinge having a strap rigidly fastened to the rear wall of said receptacle, guiding means slidably mounted in ways in said cover, resilient means interposed between said guiding means and a wall of said cover urging said cover toward normal position to cause interlocking of saidlocking means when the cover is in closedposition, but yieldable to permit rearward sliding movement of said cover relatively to said receptacle to disengage said locking means and to permit said cover to be swung to open position. I

8. A secret-lock box comprising a rectangular receptacle, ahollow rectangular cover therefor having peripheral walls normally positioned in registry respectively with like walls of said receptacle, co-operating looking members rigidly secured respectively to said receptacle'and said cover, a hinge having a strap rigidly fastened to the rear wall of said receptacle, guiding means slidably mounted in ways in said cover, resilient means interposed between said guiding means and a wall of said cover urging said cover toward normal position to cause interlocking oi said locking means when the cover is in closed position, but yieldable to permit rearward sliding movement of said cover relatively to saidreceptacle to disengage said locking means and to permit said cover to be swung to open position and means substantially conmounted in Ways intermediate of said cover cover' relatively to the receptacle to disengage said locking devices and topermitsaid cover to be swung to open position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

THEODORE MELDER. 

